


Truth and Freedom

by mollrach13



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Episode: s05e03 Free to Be You and Me, Gen, Protective Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-04 00:34:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12759462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mollrach13/pseuds/mollrach13
Summary: Sam and Dean run into Tim and Reggie years after the events of Free to Be You and Me. (5x03)





	Truth and Freedom

Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot with a flourish, a cloud of dust rolling off the dry dirt ground in its wake. It was one of his favourite types of rest stops; motel on one side of the car park and a bar on the other. 

 

“Alright,” he said with glee pulling himself out of the car. “Beer first,” he called out to Sam. 

“Dude,” Sam sighed unfolding his gargantuan frame from the car with a groan. “Motel first. I need a shower.”

“Don’t be such a kill joy. A couple of beers first won’t kill you.”

“Dean I’m tired-“

But Sam’s complaint was cut off by a hearty shout from the other side of the parking lot. 

“Dean? Dean Winchester?!”

Turning swiftly, one hand on the gun tucked in his jeans, Dean quickly locked eyes on his assailant only to relax a moment later when we recognised the duo making their way over to him. 

“Tim? Reggie!” Dean crowed moving forward to greet the hunters with a jovial clap on the back. “Long time no see. How’s it going?”

“Good my man, good,” Tim grinned returning Dean’s greeting. “You?”

“You know the life,” Dean shrugged. “Ups and downs. Sam you remember Tim and Reggie.”

It took a moment for Dean to realise that Sam wasn’t at his side. When he turned he saw that Sam hadn’t moved and was still stood with his bag in hand by the trunk of the Impala. 

“Yeah I do.”

His brothers clipped response was far from warm and Dean frowned at him. Quickly he noticed the sudden blandness to his brother’s face and the way that he had pulled himself to full height rolling his shoulders back. It set all of Dean’s inbuilt warning lights off. 

“Sam?” he asked making to step away from the old hunters. 

“Oh come on Sam,” Reggie chuckled, clapping Dean heartily on the shoulder. “You’re not gonna hold that little misunderstanding against us are you?”

Dean glanced from Reggie to Sam who still hadn’t moved. 

“Misunderstanding,” Sam said with a sardonic huff, pulling his bag a little further up his shoulder. With a shake of his head he turned away. “I think I’m gonna leave you guys to it.”

Sam turned away towards the bright neon signs of the motel. 

“Sam?” Dean called doing a quick two step jog to catch up with his retreating brother. When he grabbed Sam’s arm the man turned easily. Looking down at him Sam’s eyes merged from their cold stare into something more inherently Sam. 

“It’s alright Dean,” Sam said with a small smile seemingly reading Dean’s torn expression. “You were going to the bar anyway. All I want is a shower and a bed. At least you’ll have some company with your beer.” 

Dean saw Sam give one more unreadable look towards Tim and Reggie before he turned away, steering himself across the parking lot to the motel. 

-

Dean settled into the barstool at the tall bar table and gratefully accepted the bottle of beer passed over to him from Tim. 

“So what was that about with Sam?” he asked gently when Tim and Reggie had both settled in opposite him. 

“Ah, probably still sore with us after that thing in Oklahoma a few years ago,” Reggie said with a shrug, taking a swig of his own beer. 

“We feel bad about it we do but… you know the rumours that were flying around about him,” Tim continued. “And then Steve died.” 

“Greif man,” Reggie sighed. “Does weird things to you.”

Nodding absently Dean took a pull from his own beer bottle trying desperately to remember last time Sam had been in Oklahoma. 

“But we don’t hold a grudge or anything,” Tim was continuing. 

“Right,” Dean murmured absently, still trying to rack his memory. 

“And he spat the demon blood right back out so wasn’t really that bad.”

That caught Dean’s attention. Blinking up from his far away stare to the corner of the room Dean frowned over at the two hunters opposite him. 

“Demon blood?”

“Yeah,” Reggie confirmed with a shudder. “It was gross. Spat it right in Tim’s face as well.” 

Feigning nonchalance Dean swirled his beer. “Sam’s always been a bit of a girl about those things. Holds a grudge you know,” he shrugged carefully eyeing the two men across the table. “But it’s just business right?”

“Exactly!” exclaimed Tim with a relieved sigh. “It was right after Lucifer sprung free. Everything was crazy. Then those demons told us about Sam. What else were we supposed to think?” 

“And Sam,” Reggie jumped in with a scoff. “I mean really; who did he think he was hiding out in some bar for the apocalypse?”

“That he started,” offered Tim. 

“Right!” exclaimed Reggie completely missing the darkening look gathering on Dean’s face. 

“But he got back to the hunt soon after that,” said Tim. “Figured we kicked some sense into him!” 

Dean grit his jaw against his instinctive urge to lash out. “Kicked?” he asked with painful neutrality. 

“Pounded, punched, kicked,” Reggie offered with a shrug. “Guy’s a beast! Took us both a good few knocks to get him down I tell ya.” 

“Two against one?” Dean asked, tightening his hand around his beer bottle. 

“Have you met your brother?” Tim scoffed sharing an incredulous look with Reggie. 

“Three meters tall and strong as an ox,” Reggie finished. “Like anyone was gonna take that on on their own.”

Tim and Reggie shared a little chuckle over their cheap beers. A joint chuckle at them beating up Dean’s little brother. An in joke about the time they cornered Sam when he was on his own and kicked the shit out of him. An amusing anecdote about the time they tried to feed Dean’s brother demon blood. 

Dean felt himself rising without even thinking about it. Whatever the look was that painted Dean’s face was enough for Tim’s chuckles to tamper out, closely followed by Reggie’s and a look of apprehension to take its place. 

“You got one thing wrong,” Dean said evenly as he slowly straightened up staring at the hunters with piercing eyes. “Sam was never the Winchester you needed to worry about.”

-

Sam had jumped in the shower as soon as he had got into the motel room. The water pressure left something to be desired but it had been hot, leaving Sam’s skin pink and steaming. Dressing in some comfy sweats and a t-shirt Sam lounged back on the second motel bed, legs stretched out before him and his gun strategically placed by his hip. Taking his current book off the bedside table he began to read giving the door small glances every few minutes. 

It’s not like he was waiting for Dean to come back, Sam knew he would be fast asleep by the time Dean had had his fill of beer. But he couldn’t shake the unease at leaving his brother alone with those two hunters. Maybe he would just pop down to the bar, just to check… 

With a huff Sam settled further into the headboard. He was being ridiculous. Dean could take care of himself, and Tim and Reggie didn’t have a problem with Dean. It had been Sam that-

His thoughts were cut off as the motel room door swung open with a bang. His hand reached for the gun and he had come to his feet, aiming it at the doorway before he gave it much thought, only to relax as soon as he recognised his brother slamming the motel room door shut behind him. 

“Dean?” he asked with a frown lowering the weapon. “You’re back early, I-“

“What the hell Sam?” Dean snarled. He strode the small room in two steps giving Sam’s shoulder an angry shove. 

“Dude!” Sam complained as he stumbled slightly and bashed his leg on the bedside table. 

“Seriously?” Dean said backing away but the anger didn’t leave his face. “What the hell?”

Shaking his head in confusion Sam looked over his brother trying to read the cause of Dean’s ire. “I don’t-“

“Two of Dad’s old mates beat the shit out of you, force feed you demon blood and you don’t think that’s information I need to have?!”

Comprehension filled Sam then and he relaxed slightly. “Dean it was years ago.”

“I don’t care if it was centuries ago,” Dean thundered striding forward into Sam’s face. “That type of shit you tell me. And then you let me go off and have a beer with them? You know how gross that is?”

“It was right after I opened the gates,” Sam said with a shake of his head. “We had other things to worry about.”

“You’re gonna shut up right now before you piss me off even more,” Dean hissed giving Sam’s chest one ineffectual push before he backed away, staring at Sam with wide eyes. “How did… how did I not even…” he trailed off then but Sam knew his brother and knew the question he didn’t want to air: ‘how did I not even notice?’

“You weren’t there Dean,” Sam said softly. “It was when I found about Lucifer and being the vessel. Then when we hooked back up we weren’t exactly on the best terms you know.” 

Dean looked back at Sam, seeming to battle with his own mind but whatever it was he was about to say was shut down quickly as Dean huffed and grabbed the Impala keys from the table. 

“Whatever. Grab your shit we gotta go.”

“What?” Sam asked incredulously as he watched Dean shove Sam’s things back into his duffle. “Why?”

“Because I am pretty sure the barman will have called the cops by now and I’d rather not be here when they turn up!”

“Oh come on,” Sam whined but Dean was already pulling open the door and watching Sam expectantly, Sam’s bag in hand. There was little else Sam could do other than pull on his trainers and follow. 

-

They were a few miles down the road by the time the tense silence in the Impala was broken. To Sam’s surprise it was Dean. 

“So you gonna tell me what happened?”

“Dean…” Sam sighed, his tired eyes focused on the street lamps flashing past his window. 

“Sam I swear to god…” Dean said through gritted teeth. 

“Fine, fine,” Sam mumbled sitting up more fully in the passenger seat. “I was working in a bar in Oklahoma, just trying to keep my head down. Got wind of some demons not far off so I called Bobby to put some hunters on it. Only when Steve got killed Tim and Reggie came looking for revenge. Came looking for me.”

“…And,” Dean led impatiently glancing quickly between the road and Sam. 

“And they got the drop on me,” Sam admitted with a shrug. “Tried to feed me some demon blood. I spat it out and cleaned the floor with them. End of.” 

Dean was quiet so long that Sam chanced a glance over at his brother, only to see Dean staring back at him with wide eyes. “Jesus Sam,” he sighed after a moment shaking his head. 

“It was years ago Dean.”

“I don’t care,” Dean growled tightening his hands around the wheel. 

Sam watched and waited for Dean’s shoulders to move fractionally away from his neck before he asked the question he had wanted to ask since he was shuffled from the motel room. 

“What did you do to them?”

Dean scoffed, sending Sam a withering look from the corner of his eyes. “What do you think?”  
Sam breathed sharply through his nose in distaste. “You can’t just go beating up other hunters!”

“I can when they touch you!” Dean growled. 

“Dean-“

“No Sam,” Dean snapped, slapping his hand on the steering wheel with a thud. “That’s the rule! That’s the one rule and they know it. It was the one rule when Dad was around and it’s the one rule now. And anyone who thinks they can break the rule will be taught otherwise!”

Dean’s angry voice echoed around the Impala for a moment leaving the car soaking in an air of thick silence. Sam watched as Dean’s jaw worked, clenching and unclenching his teeth in an abstract pattern in a clear sign of brewing anger. 

Sam took a deep breath and held it for a moment. What was done was done. And if he was honest with himself he wasn’t at all sorry those two assholes had got what was coming to them. To be honest he was kinda upset he hadn’t been there to watch. 

Letting out the breath Sam deflated and sunk back into the comfort of the Impala. 

“Well… thanks,” Sam said after a few moments. “Erm… Likewise you know.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever,” Dean mumbled shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “What do you say we find a motel not full of asshats and get some sleep?”

Sam snorted and gave his brother a nod of agreement before looking back at the road. Having a pair of hunters as your enemy was never a good situation to be in but he figured that as long as him and Dean stuck together they’d be just fine. And you never know… next time he might have the chance to take a swing at them too.


End file.
